Part of how "Good falls are made in the summer." is contacting those students who will be coming to your campus in the fall. Whether you get 2 or 3 names or you get hundreds of names, what you do with them and how you contact them goes a long way toward what will happen this fall.
1. Contact them as soon as you get their name.
As a college football fan, I am always interested in why an athlete says they signed with a particular school. One thing you hear often is, "They were the first to show interest in me." I think early interest in them matters.
2. Write them a PERSONAL, HANDWRITTEN note.
They will get a ton of formally printed letters or flyers. A handwritten message will stand out. It does not have to be more than 4 or five sentences. Use nice looking cards or make a card with some picture or pictures from your ministry. The days of these being way too expensive are way gone due to all the online services. Handwritten says "I am interested in you personally." One Head Football coach known for his success requires his Assistants to write a certain number of handwritten cards to potential recruits each day.
3. Send them multiple things over the summer.
Some years ago one University said they believed they had to mail to an incoming student seven (7) times to make sure they got their information. I don't know that seven is a magic number, but I do buy the idea of multiple contacts over the summer.
4. Have an upperclass student contact them.
Both a contact from the Campus Minister and a contact from a student are important. This can be your Student Outreach Team or just different students who you can count on. They key words here are, "count on">
5. Give them something or offer them something.
What you give them can be as simple as a flyer that says, "The 5 Dumbest Mistakes Freshmen Make at _________University". Or, it can be "6 Study Tips". For those with more budget, it can mean sending them a sharp ministry tee shirt. But, it better be good, attractive and comfortable. Or, make them an offer. "If you are interested in knowing more about our ministry, just send me a message with your tee shirt size and I will be glad to send you some information along with the shirt. Some have done sun glasses with their name on it, etc. One BCM guy told me he was going to send them my "Tips for College Freshmen". It starts a conversation with them. If you send a message with an enclosed postcard to return, clip one of the corners off of the card. One marketing company learned that postcards with a corner clipped off got returned by a higher percentage. Who knows?
6. Add them on social media.
This can be done one of two ways. They will see your regular ministry posts. OR, create a special Freshmen account and post tips throughout the summer to benefit them and let them know of different events of interest. You could send a "Weekly Freshmen Tip". It could be everything from favorite student restaurants that give discounts to best snack places on campus.
7. Ask them to send you names of friends who will also be coming to your campus.
Incoming students can be the best source of the names of other incoming students. Ask.
Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen: 124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.
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